Chapter 48: I Am the Father!

“Princess!” Lan Qin rushed in and knelt beside her, weeping as she helped steady her: “This is our little Prince, this is him!”

No matter how ruthless Yan Bei was, he could never be so depraved as to hack his own biological son to impersonate A-Li.

Furthermore, since the child was born, she and Yan Bei had personally cared for him; she knew every birthmark and the position of every mole by heart.

Yue Tang could no longer hear any other sounds or see anyone else!

All her mental energy was focused on feeling the vitality of this tiny body.

This was her child, her flesh and blood, returned to her after being lost!

Having survived a brush with death amidst an encirclement by a hundred assassins, vengeance was her primary mission.

She was not the only victim of that massacre; there was A-Li, her father, and so many loyal attendants by her side.

Lan Qin’s biological sister, Huo Yun’s parents, Wei Zhang’s fiancée—all had perished in that accident.

She had a responsibility to uncover the entire conspiracy and seek justice for herself, for the Prince's Manor, and for all those who had died unjustly.

Therefore, for these three years, she had remained single-mindedly focused.

When she saw the moment that her former closest confidant was actually the backbone of her enemy, she did indeed feel a moment of panic.

But she understood even more clearly that being within the Du family meant that a single misstep could result in losing everything once again.

Aside from rapidly analyzing the situation, estimating her current circumstances, and deducing all possible motives behind it, how could she have ever found the leisure to reminisce about past romances?

And how could she have ever imagined that the three-month-old infant she saw with her own eyes enduring such devastation from the killer—an infant she was certain could not possibly survive in the enemy's hands—would actually live to become the child of the Prince of Jingyang, so closely tied to the Du family?

Even if a one-in-ten-thousand delusion had flickered in her mind for an instant, how could she have convinced herself to believe that a deceiver, who sat at the same table as her enemy sharing wine and laughter, would treat her flesh and blood with kindness?

Fortunately, her suspicion of Yan Bei had driven her to return and see A-Li.

This was what it meant to be heartbroken.

The two people beside them had already turned away to wipe their tears.

Yan Bei pulled out a handkerchief, intending to reach over to wipe Yue Tang's face, but at that moment, A-Li reached out his small hand and, before he could, gently patted her back, then clumsily wiped away Yue Tang's tears with his tiny hands.

Ever since he could remember, A-Li rarely left the Prince's Manor. It was only after seeing his little friends having mothers to comb their hair, cook for them, mend their dolls, and tuck them into bed that he realized everyone had a mother, but he did not.

He asked his Father, and he asked Grandpa Gao; they told him that A-Li had a mother too, but she had fallen into the water and could not come back.

A-Li still hoped to have his mother.

Since little ducks could swim, he raised little ducks, and even had Grandpa Jin, the Chief Administrator, weave him grass ducks that would never drown. He hoped that one day, they could bring his mother back to him.

The little ducks had finally done it.

Mother was back.

As soon as he saw her, A-Li wanted to go forward and hug her.

He loved the scent on his mother; it felt as if he had smelled it somewhere before.

A-Li was so happy. But Mother seemed very sad, so A-Li became sad too.

With tears in his eyes, he patted his mother's back bit by bit, just as his Father used to comfort him every time he cried in the past.

Lan Qin felt even more heartache as she steadied her emotions and advised Yue Tang: "The Princess's health is still fragile; avoid extreme grief or extreme joy."

Hearing this, Yan Bei realized that having escaped death back then, she must have suffered extremely severe injuries, so he also stepped forward: "There is plenty of time ahead; there is no need to rush this moment, ah."

Yue Tang held A-Li and wept for a long time before finally stopping. She let him go and began to examine him again.

The child's vitality had been damaged, and he was very thin, but it had to be said that Yan Bei had raised him exceptionally well. He was clean and pure; though not yet five, he already possessed an elegant, jade-like temperament.

She pulled him onto her lap and asked softly, "How is your appetite usually? What do you like to eat?"

Yan Bei jumped in to answer: "His appetite is just poor; he doesn't like to eat. On the occasions when his appetite is better, he likes things like braised goose, seasoned liver, and preserved chicken feet."

Yue Tang gave him a sidelong glance.

She pulled A-Li slightly closer, pressing her palm against the *Zhongwan* acupoint on his upper abdomen, gently massaging it: "Braised goose and such are delicious, but A-Li's spleen and stomach are weak, so he must not eat them frequently."

Yan Bei added, "I also frequently steam him yam with red date paste."

Yue Tang replied indifferently, "I didn't ask you to speak."

Yan Bei fell silent and closed his mouth, taking a deep breath as he looked toward Gao An beside them.

Gao An's eyes were shimmering with an unreadable emotion; seeing Yan Bei look his way, he cleared his throat, bowed, and stepped forward: "The Princess must not overexert herself. Why don't I take A-Li out to play for a while, so you and the Prince can have a proper talk?"

Yue Tang knew she should cherish her health, and she did indeed have things to say to Yan Bei, so she looked toward Lan Qin.

Understanding her intent, Lan Qin knelt down and took A-Li's small hand: "I am Mother's close attendant. Little Prince, would you like to let me lead you outside and tell you how much Mother has missed her little treasure all these years?"

A-Li was attached to the familiar scent of his mother, but he also very much wanted to know if he truly was the treasure in her heart. Seeing that this auntie's face was as kind and loving as his mother's, he hesitated for a moment before finally getting up.

Yue Tang's gaze followed them until they were out of sight and she could no longer see A-Li.

Seizing the opportunity, Yan Bei picked up his untouched tea and handed it to her: "You have been exhausted this half-day; have some water."

Yue Tang turned to look at him, took the tea, and said: "Regardless, raising a child for a thousand days is hard work. The Prince of Jingyang has worked hard."

Yan Bei nearly burst into tears, but since she still addressed him as "the Prince of Jingyang," how would he dare to boldly accept such praise?

He puffed out his chest: "I am the father, he is my son; this is what I ought to do."

Yue Tang's lips curled slightly as she nodded: "Since the Prince of Jingyang has indeed treated my child well, then I can listen to your explanation. You always say you have no connection to the Du family, so why did you appear at Feiyun Temple on the night Zhang Shaode died?"

Yan Bei paused: "You saw me?"

Yue Tang merely fixed her gaze on his face and said nothing.

Her calm demeanor made Yan Bei daze for a moment.

Just a moment ago, she had collapsed because of A-Li's appearance; in that state of mingled joy and sorrow, she was no different from any other devoted mother in the world—perhaps even more so.

Yet in the blink of an eye, she had become so composed, her words sharply seizing the suspicious points about him.

This ability to control her emotions so effortlessly was something Yan Bei was seeing in a woman for the first time.

The two had met in their youth; in Yan Bei's memory, she was indeed intelligent and acted with great poise, pursuing her goals without being hindered by trivialities, which had deeply attracted him.

But because they both had intentions to hide themselves, while those impressions existed, they had only remained on the surface of their daily interactions. To be honest, there had been no significant events to truly highlight these traits.

Ever since he learned that she was Yongjia of the Duan Prince's Manor, who had personally slain He Jianzhong and killed Zhang Shaode, Yan Bei's understanding of her had naturally deepened. However, knowing she had been taught by great masters since childhood, it was only logical that she possessed such extraordinary abilities.

It was not until this moment, seeing her as she was today, that those past impressions finally became clear. The same person, under different circumstances, actually gave him the sensation of meeting someone entirely new.

It was evident that his previous understanding of her had only touched the surface.

As a royal daughter, she had her own grand strategy in mind.

And with her enemy before her, she knew even more clearly that indulging in the past was unwise; instead, she should focus on clarifying how to move forward.

Yan Bei could not help but feel a sense of solemnity, and spoke truthfully: "That day, I suspected the Du family had a conspiracy at the temple, so I went to investigate."